Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Sharjah Cost of Living Comparison Between Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

😐 Solo nomad: Abu Dhabi is 25.3% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 39.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Abu Dhabi is 30.8% more expensive than Sharjah without rent, and 60.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.74 AED 39.42

$5.53 AED 20.28

94.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 AED 253

$32.39 AED 119

112.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 AED 34.33

$9.18 AED 33.68

1.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.70 AED 35.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.32 AED 34.21

Cappuccino

$6.00 AED 22.03

$4.19 AED 15.39

43.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 AED 4.64

$0.96 AED 3.54

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 AED 1.47

$0.37 AED 1.37

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.70 AED 39.28

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.79 AED 39.60

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 AED 7.07

$1.76 AED 6.46

9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 AED 5.90

$1.19 AED 4.39

35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 AED 8.60

$2.03 AED 7.47

15.27%

Eggs

$3.74 AED 13.71

$2.86 AED 10.49

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 AED 39.93

$10.47 AED 38.43

3.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 AED 31.44

$6.99 AED 25.67

22.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.52 AED 42.29

$8.93 AED 32.76

29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 AED 8.87

$1.91 AED 7.00

26.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 AED 6.65

$1.51 AED 5.53

19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.91

$1.46 AED 5.37

28.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.52

$1.17 AED 4.30

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.15

$1.05 AED 3.84

7.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.23 AED 4.50

17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 AED 6.76

$1.50 AED 5.49

22.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 AED 2.20

$0.61 AED 2.23

-1.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.65 AED 57.5

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 AED 7.17

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 AED 12.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 AED 22.94

$6.58 AED 24.13

-5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 AED 50.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 AED 8.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 AED 8.16

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 AED 2.59

$1.66 AED 6.09

-57.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.37 AED 93.1

$40.05 AED 147

-36.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 AED 12.10

$3.75 AED 13.76

-12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 AED 2.08

$0.66 AED 2.43

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 AED 29.61

$5.03 AED 18.44

60.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.76 AED 2.78

7.89%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$44.8K AED 164.5K

$45.3K AED 166.4K

-1.13%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.8K AED 80.1K

$22.7K AED 83.3K

-3.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$141 AED 516

$199 AED 729

-29.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$50.7 AED 186

$64.5 AED 237

-21.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 AED 372

$103 AED 377

-1.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 AED 242

$62.2 AED 228

5.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.00 AED 128

$37.96 AED 139

-7.80%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 AED 50.3

$13.03 AED 47.81

5.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$625 AED 2,293

$279 AED 1,025

123.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K AED 45.8K

$5,958 AED 21.9K

109.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 AED 211

$52.2 AED 191

10.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 AED 206

$96.8 AED 355

-42.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 AED 336

$98.1 AED 360

-6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 AED 326

$80.3 AED 295

10.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 AED 5,316

$760 AED 2,790

90.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 AED 3,987

$607 AED 2,227

79.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,032 AED 11.1K

$1,633 AED 5,992

85.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 AED 8,328

$1,021 AED 3,747

122.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,002 AED 18.4K

$8,040 AED 29.5K

-37.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,946 AED 10.8K

$2,720 AED 9,984

8.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,774 AED 10.2K

$2,575 AED 9,449

7.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.19

4.42

17.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abu Dhabi: January 11, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Helsinki

🇫🇮 Finland

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

Winnipeg

🇨🇦 Canada

Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand